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Association of Graduate Students in Psychology: Constitution 

Section 1: Introduction 

AGSIP is a student-run association which: 

• represents and promotes graduate student interests at the departmental and university level; 

• organizes and funds social events to foster a sense of community among graduate students within the Department and to increase communication between graduate students, faculty and staff. 

Section 2: Membership 

All graduate students within the Department of Psychology at Queen's University are members of AGSIP, with all the rights and responsibilities pertaining thereto. Upon graduation or withdrawal from the program, membership is automatically revoked at the end of the academic term. 

Section 3: Election of Officers 

(3.1) Any member of AGSIP may be nominated for the position of executive officer or representative. 

(3.2) Nominees shall be voted in at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) in May. 

(3.3) The Vice President - Operations shall recruit nominations for these positions prior to the end of the fiscal year. Nominations from the floor will also be considered at the AGM. Positions may be shared when there are more interested candidates than there are positions available (although the voting power of the positions will then be shared). Typically, each person can find a role that corresponds to their interests, however, in the event there is interest in a role beyond what can be shared, all nominees will be given the opportunity to address the Membership at the AGM and a secret ballot vote will be conducted. Otherwise, the slate of representatives will be presented to the General Membership for approval and a vote will be taken by a show of hands. 

(3.4) All Executive members and committee representatives will begin their terms on June 1^st, in accordance with AGSIP's fiscal year, and shall serve for twelve (12) months. 

(3.5) Under normal circumstances, executive officers do not serve in a given position for more than twenty-four (24) months. 

(3.6) In the event that an Officer resigns from office prior to the end of their term, the executive may continue without the officer, or a new officer may be appointed at an executive meeting. 

(3.7) Ad hoc committees or representatives may be appointed to address student concerns or realize initiatives that fall beyond the scope of the traditional executive roles with a vote at executive meetings. 

(3.8) Under exceptional circumstances, an Officer may be removed from office prior to the end of their term according to the following procedure: 

1. A motion of non-confidence, outlining the reasons for removal, shall be brought forward to a meeting of the General Membership in accordance with Section 6 of this document. 

2. At the ensuing meeting of the General Membership, arguments shall be presented for and against the motion by representatives for both sides, prior to a vote being taken. 

3. A vote on the motion will be taken by secret ballot. A simple majority (including proxy votes) is required in order for the motion to be carried, in which case, the Officer shall be relieved of duties immediately. 

Section 4: Executive Body 

(4.1) The Executive Body is directly accountable to the General Membership. (4.2) The Executive is responsible for: 

1. conducting the day-to-day running of the association, including financial business, in a manner consistent with the mandate described in Section 1 of this document and in accordance with policies laid down by the General Membership; 

2. addressing any concerns or issues regarding departmental policy or student welfare which may, from time to time, be brought to their attention. 

(4.3) The Executive shall consist of five voting positions: Co-Presidents (share one vote), Treasurer, Vice President - Operations, Vice President - Communications, and Vice President - Social. In the event that a position is shared between two (2) people, the position shall still be allocated only one (1) vote on the Executive. 

(4.4) Executive Duties 

(4.4.a) Co-Presidents: 

The major role of the Co-Presidents is to represent and voice the concerns of all graduate students in the Department of Psychology. To do this, the Co-Presidents communicate with the Head of the Department, the Grad Chair, and other members of the faculty. The Co-Presidents must be aware of student concerns and be sensitive to student morale. 

The Co-Presidents shall submit an annual report at the annual general meeting in May.  

The Co-Presidents are responsible for: 

• Monitoring, coordinating, and facilitating the activities of other AGSIP officers; 

• Calling and chairing Executive and General meetings; 

• Preparing a monthly report for department meeting; 

• Surveying graduate student opinion regarding all hiring and promotion decisions; 

• Representing student interests in the following committee positions (either by attending themselves or by appointing another AGSIP representative): 

• 2 representatives - Departmental Committee 

• 1 representative - Review, Tenure, and Promotion 

• 1 representative - Appointments (faculty hiring) 

Co-presidents are responsible for: 

• Surveying graduate student opinion regarding all hiring and promotion decisions. 

The Co-Presidents are full members of the Executive. The Co-Presidents do not normally exercise their voting rights; however, in the event of a tie vote among other Executive members the Co-Presidents shall cast the deciding vote.  
 

(4.4.b) Treasurer: 

The Treasurer is responsible for conducting the day-to-day financial business of the Association in accordance with policies laid down by the General Membership. The Treasurer is a full member of the Executive. 

Roles and responsibilities of the Treasurer include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• Maintaining AGSIP's account books; 

• Making bank deposits as required; 

• Drawing up a budget, in cooperation with other Exec members, for approval by the general membership at the AGM; 

• Submitting a report for the AGM, in May, estimating year-to-date income and expenditures; 

• Providing orientation for the incoming Treasurer, and forwarding all records, files, and information to him/her at the end of the fiscal year; 

• Preparing financial statements and a Year End Report to the incoming Executive no later than July 1 following the end of their term; 

• Organizing and chairing all fundraising initiatives. 

(4.4.b) Director of Operations: 

In broad terms, the role of the Vice President - Operations is to assist the Co-Presidents in carrying out their responsibilities. The Vice President – Operations (Director of Operations) is a full member of the Executive. 

The Director of Operations shall chair meetings in the absence of the Co-Presidents and, in the event that a President is unable to fulfill their duties, the Director of Operations shall assume the role of President for the remainder of the term of office. Occasionally, the Director of Operations may also be required to attend committee meetings as a replacement for representatives who are unable to attend. 

When possible, the Director of Operations will serve as the SGPS representative in the SGPS graduate council, in order to communicate any important information between AGSIP and the graduate student’s union. The Director of Operations is responsible for coordinating course evaluations and TA evaluations at the end of each academic term. 

The Director of Operations shall submit an annual report at the annual general meeting in May.  

(4.4.c) Director of Communications: 

The Director of Communications’ primary role is to take minutes at all Executive and general meetings and to facilitate communication between Executive members, Committee Representatives, and General Membership. The Director of Communication is a full member of the Executive. 

Roles and responsibilities of the Director of Communications include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• Maintaining the AGSIP bulletin board; 

• Drawing up agenda for all meetings, in cooperation with other Executive members; 

• Circulating agenda and minutes; 

• Maintaining and updating AGSIP’s files; 

• Serve as a central area representative, coordinating communication to and from area representatives on any and all issues concerning program areas; 

• Distinguished Lecture Series coordinator – Each year, the psychology department hosts 4 distinguished lectures, one for each program area. The department provides a lunch budget to cover the cost of food and beverages for students and the speaker. This coordinator role will involve conferring with the Faculty Distinguished Lecture Chair and a member of the program area to determine the time for lunch, which will take place in the AGSIP lounge. The coordinator will disseminate details about the lunch, the talk and the post-talk reception and will provide the Psychology Department Coordinator with the numbers, dietary restrictions and the time of food delivery for the student lunch. 

• Other positions that could be occupied by the Director of Communications: Webmaster (See description in section 5) 
   

(4.4.d) Social Committee: 

The Social Coordinators are responsible for organizing the orientation events for incoming students and coordinating a variety of social events throughout the year. Organization of particular events may be delegated to other interested students who wish to be involved, but these individuals shall be advised and supervised by the Social Coordinators. The Social Coordinators are full members of the Executive, but only have one voting position, held by the Director of Social.

Within the Social Committee: 

1. Director of Social (1) – A person designated to lead the social committee to ensure that the discussion and planning of events is kept consistent. 

2. Social Coordinators (2+) – Plan and execute social events. 
    

The Social committee works with the Treasurer to ensure that social expenditures conform as closely as possible to the budget adopted by the General Membership at the start of the fiscal year. The Social Coordinators will also work closely with the Webmaster, or can assume the role of Webmaster, for the purposes of disseminating information about events.  

The Social Coordinators shall submit one annual report for the AGM in May.  

(4.5) Meetings of the Executive Body 

(4.5.a) The Executive shall meet at least once monthly. 

(4.5.b) Executive meetings are open meetings.  
 

(4.5.c) Executive decisions may be appealed by any member of the General Membership by addressing the issue to a meeting of the General Membership. At least one-week notice shall be given to the General Membership and to the Executive of any motion to appeal or amend an Executive decision. 
 

(4.5.d) In order to promote a teamwork approach to the running of the Association, all AGSIP Executive members shall, upon request, fully disclose to other members of the Executive any and all documentation and actions related to their duties. 

(4.5.e) A formal record of all Executive meetings shall be kept by the Director of Communications. These minutes shall be formally reviewed, amended as needed, and adopted at the following meeting. A copy of the latest Executive minutes shall be posted on the website.

Section 5: AGSIP Representatives: 

• Graduate Committee Representative: responsibilities include running the graduate mentorship program, and coordinating with the co-presidents to represent student concerns at graduate committee meetings which: 
   

• Make recommendations to the Department on graduate admissions policy. 

• Select applicants to be recommended to the School of Graduate Studies for admission to the graduate program, or as qualifying, or special students. 

• Monitor student progress according to departmental guidelines on satisfactory progress. 

• Study and make recommendations to the Department on policy and practice regarding graduate studies including curriculum, examinations, and student progress. 

• Approve substantial requests for departmental funding of graduate student research. 
   

• Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Graduate Representative: responsibilities include attending monthly EDI Committee Meetings and helping with/leading EDI initiatives. We encourage at least one of the EDI Graduate Representatives to be a member of an equity-seeking group, and not only from the category of women if it does not intersect with one of the other equity-seeking groups. For more information about the EDI Committee, please visit the following link:

Joanna + Tavneen

•  /psychology/resources/equity-diversity-inclusion-edi-committee/equity-diversity-inclusion-edi-committee 

• Research Ethics Board (REB) Representative: Work with the unit REB chair to review and advise changes to unit REB submissions in a timely manner.

Area Representatives 

Area reps are responsible for coordinating area social events, conveying area-level concerns from students to the area chair, and attending area committee meetings when indicated by the area chair. Typically, the Clinical, Cognitive Neuroscience, Developmental and Social area reps organize a meet up for students in the area at the open house, organize the area guest lunches (working with the Director of Communications for the distinguished lecture series), and they often organize social events for the area beyond this. 

The Neuroscience Representative occupies a distinct role. This role is typically a graduate student from the Centre for Neuroscience Studies (CNS). Since Psychology and CNS trainees often have overlapping interests, the role of the Neuroscience Representative is to serve as a liaison between both groups, keeping each one up to date about the happenings of the other (e.g., seminar talks, training opportunities, collaboration opportunities, outreach opportunities, social events, intramurals, etc.), and assisting with any organization that may be required for events involving both groups.  

1. Clinical 

Responsibilities:

• Attend clinical academic committee (CAC) meetings: At least two representatives are required to attend the CAC meeting each month during the academic year. Representatives vote on proposed changes to the program (two representative votes count as one vote), raise relevant student issues, and contribute to discussion of agenda items.

• Attend meetings with the DCT/ADCT: Representatives meet with the DCT and ADCT each month to raise concerns voiced by students and provide a student perspective on topics raised by the DCT/ADCT. These meetings are held prior to the CAC meeting so that student issues that may not warrant discussion with the CAC can be addressed efficiently, and to identify issues that require further discussion with clinical faculty. One representative records minutes.

• Circulate CAC meeting minutes: After receiving the approved meeting minutes from the administrative assistant at the psychology clinic, representatives send an email to the clinical student listserv to circulate the minutes. Alternatively, ensure that this is shared with students by the psychology clinic administrative assistant.

• Circulate DCT/ADCT meeting minutes: After the DCT/ADCT approves the student meeting minutes (recorded by a representative during the monthly meetings), representatives send an email to the clinical student listserv to circulate the minutes.

• Poll for student issues: Student issues are polled monthly by sending a survey link to the clinical student listserv (typically in the same email containing the CAC meeting minutes). Additional polls are occasionally sent for specific issues that the DCT/ADCT would like student feedback on.

• Orientation meeting: Before or during the first week of fall term, clinical student representatives provide a presentation orienting incoming MSc1 clinical students to the program and answer any questions.

• Milestones meeting: In the beginning of the winter term, clinical student representatives provide a presentation outlining the various milestones that are met over the course of the Masters and PhD programs. Reps also check-in about how the first term went and answer any questions.

• Responding to and supporting clinical students: Answer questions and address concerns raised by clinical students over email or in-person, including documenting issues to bring to the monthly DCT/ADCT meeting.

• Kevin Parker Practicum Supervisor Award: Early in the fall semester, representatives will email the clinical student listserv to receive nominations for a clinician who provided outstanding practicum supervision in the previous academic year to receive the Kevin Parker award. Once nominations close, representatives communicate the awardee to the administrative assistant at the psychology clinic and to the psychology department manager. Representatives present the award at the practicum meet and greet event held in the spring, and notify the awardee in advance to ensure they attend the event.

• Organizing the clinical area open house social event

• Organizing lunches for clinical area distinguished lectures
   

2. Cognitive Neuroscience 

3. Developmental 

4. Social 

5. Neuroscience 

University Representatives 

University representatives are responsible for attending monthly meetings of the SGPS and PSAC to represent student concerns. 

• SGPS 

• PSAC Stewards: Responsible for helping with TA grievances. 

Department programs 

• Webmaster: Responsible for advising department about website issues and running AGSIP Social Media 

Student Mentors 

• General 

• International students 

• Lab/Supervisor switching 

Committee Representatives shall keep the co-presidents informed of their activities by sending any relevant meeting minutes, and checking in, typically at the beginning and end of each term and more often if needed. 

Section 6: General Meetings 

(6.1)    Meetings of the General Membership shall be held no less than once a year. A meeting shall be held in May of each year, for the purposes of adopting a budget for the upcoming year and electing new members to the Executive and to the various departmental committees on which AGSIP has representation. 
 

(6.2)    General meetings are normally called by the co-presidents of the association, but may also be called in extraordinary circumstances by and 3 members simply by serving notice to the General Membership and to the executive. 
 

(6.3)    Quorum is defined as the number of members present at the meeting. Votes by proxy shall not be included. A quorum of eight (8) members, not including the Chair, is required in order to adopt or amend any association policy. The constitution may only be amended at a general meeting.  
 

(6.4)    At least 2 weeks notice shall be given to the General Membership of any general meeting. One week prior to the scheduled meeting, the agenda shall be circulated via email. Any member may add items to the agenda simply by informing the Co-Presidents prior to the meeting.  
 

(6.5)    Members who are unable to attend a given meeting may vote by proxy, by giving written, signed instructions to any Executive member prior to the start of the meeting. 
 

Section 7: Finance 

(7.1)   AGSIP’s fiscal year shall run from June 1^st to May 31^st. 

(7.2)    The General Membership shall decide matters of fiscal policy, including any unbudgeted expenditure over $500.00. 

(7.3)    At the AGM the new co-signatories on the AGSIP bank account will be determined (whenever possible these should be the treasurer and one of the co-presidents) the existing representatives must determine a time to change the signatories on the bank account at the end of the AGM. 

(7.4)   Members may review AGSIP’s financial records at any time. 

Appendix A: Positions to fill at the AGM 

Executive  

• Co-President (2): 

• Treasurer (1): 

• Director of Operations (1): 

• Director of Communications (1): 

• Director of Social (1): 

• Social Committee (2+): 

Representatives 

• Graduate (2): 

• Equity Diversity and Inclusion (2): 

• Research Ethics Board (1): 

Area Representatives 

• Clinical (3): 

• Cognitive Neuroscience (2): 

• Developmental (2): 

• Social (2): 

• Neuroscience (2): 

University Representatives: 

• SGPS (1): Filled by the Director of Operations or another executive member when possible: 

• PSAC (2): 

Department programs:

• Webmaster: Filled by the Director of Communciation or another executive member when possible: 

Student Mentors: 

• General (1): 

• International Students (1): 

• Lab/Supervisor switching (1):